Black Mission
Ficus carica ‘Black Mission’About
Black Mission (also called ‘Franciscana’) is a heritage fig with Spanish mission roots, brought to California in the late 18th century. It bears dark purple-black fruit with intensely sweet, strawberry-pink flesh — among the richest flavours of any fig. The tree is vigorous, long-lived, and can grow quite large if left unpruned.
Growing Notes
- Needs long, hot summers to develop its best flavour; ideal for Mediterranean and warm-temperate climates.
- Very drought-tolerant once established — one of its best traits.
- Can grow to 6–9 m tall; regular pruning keeps it manageable and improves yields.
- Less cold-hardy than Brown Turkey; protect below −5 °C (23 °F).
- Produces a main crop only (no reliable breba crop in cooler areas).
My Notes
Started from a cutting received from a neighbour. Currently about 1.2 m tall and in its first full growing season in the ground. No fruit yet, but the growth has been impressive — almost doubled in height this summer. Looking forward to the first proper harvest.
Where to Find Black Mission
Mislabeled figs are the collector’s oldest problem, and you usually don’t find out until the tree finally fruits years later. I list my own cuttings on Figstead — a marketplace I built and run, because I had been on the buying end of that problem too many times. That is also why the bar to sell there is where it is: 150+ verified sales at a 98%+ positive feedback rating before a seller is approved, and accountability for true-to-type accuracy resting on the seller personally. I sell under the same standard I set.
My storefront on FigStead →